Of a Memory - Len x Oliver Fanfiction
by Oliver-Kagamine
Summary: Legend says that when you find the feather of an angel wing, it would bring you great luck. On the other hand, the scale of a demon wing will bring immense pain and hatred into your life. Perhaps having both was where everything went wrong.
1. Prologue

Prologue - The Beginning

~Oliver's POV~

"You know we can't be together, Oliver."

A hand reached out to me, caressing my cheek in its warm palm. There were tears that I desperately held back, though I knew he was right. All of this was in vein.

"W-we can make it work! Please..." I lied to myself all that time. The secret meetings, the time we spent together, the hugs, the kisses, the things that went beyond that...

It was all a lie, wasn't it?

Then why...why am I crying...?

If it's all a lie then why does it feel so real...? Why does it hurt so much to be away from him?

It's...

"It's real, Oliver. I love you, you know that. If we were caught, though, I'm sure you know the punishment..."

He held me close again—like all the other times he had done so. I was drowning in his warmth and his smell.

I didn't want to let go, but...he was right.

I needed to stop lying to myself.

We can't be together anymore. That is, if we truly did love each other, it was the best way to keep each other safe.

"...Yes." I let the word out, soft and slow. Soon enough, I had to pull away. "Then...goodbye, Len."

"Goodbye, Oliver."

"Kuro, I'm heading out."

The older lady—rude, although she didn't mind—turned from where she was propped in the kitchen making my dinner already. Sometimes she was too motherly, considering I was only her foster child after all. "Already? Be careful, Ollie."

"Yeah, yeah." I slid my shoes on and walked slowly down the sidewalk, taking in the neighborhood scenery.

...How did I get here? I don't remember anything. It's all just hazy memories.

I can't even try—that's probably the worst part. My head stings if I try too hard to remember. Maybe someone just doesn't want me to remember. Is it really that important...?

I don't feel important.

"Oliver!"

Turning my head, I met a gaze with the same boy who always greeted me on our way to school. I guess you could call him my childhood friend...? Not that I've known him that long, but...

"Piko, you're up early," I remarked, wearing a faint grin; it might've been the slightest bit smug. I had to one-up him in any way I could, so of course I would want to get up early—but that's not why I did today.

Piko placed his hands on his hips in a feminine way. It didn't help that he already looked enough like a girl with his bob-cut silver hair and round face, so he was only making it worse for himself. "Well, yeah! I've got to try my best to keep up with you, otherwise I'll get left behind!" He nudged my side, and we both laughed a bit before continuing our voyage to the school.

I didn't have many friends in all honesty, so it was nice to have someone who was there for me whether I liked it or not.

The school was...typical, to say the least.

There were your popular people: Miku, Kaito, and Rin.

The nerds: Ryuuto, Piko, Yuki, and me.

The bullies: Fukase, Neru, and Mayu.

The band geeks: Merli, Miriam, Lily, Mew, and Maika.

The goths: Chika, Cul, and Galaco.

Then, the group that doesn't really fit in anywhere: Yohio (my brother), Tone, Nana, and occasionally me as well.

There's probably more, but I'm sure it would take ages to list out.

Let's stick with the basics then. I usually hung out with Ryuuto and Piko since they're basically my best friends at this point in my life; we all hang out at my house since it's easy because Kuro and Tenchou (my foster parents) are a young couple and we actually don't get bothered by them. They call themselves my parents, but really they're more like my older siblings.

The topic of conversation as Piko and I walked changed rapidly. First video games, then homework, and then weekend plans.

It wasn't long before we reached the school gate.

"I'll see you at lunch, okay, Oliver? I've got a class in the courtyard first period today. We're learning aeronautics!" Piko grinned childishly before he waved and left in a hurry.

He really was a big nerd, huh?

I snickered a bit and turned to head to my own class. It was funny how the only reason I was classified as a nerd was because I hung out with them. If anything, I was probably just a video game freak. Even then, I didn't play as often as they did.

I paused.

Why was I even here? Well...school's important, but then why do I feel so...ignorant about daily life? It's all boring... Even what I think I'm good at isn't great.

I'm sure Piko or Ryuuto could beat me in a first-person shooter game with ease.

Maybe I'm just overthinking my amnesia again. Maybe I've just forced myself to get into new things now that I've forgotten everything else.

Is this a divine message...?

...No, that's dumb. What am I even thinking?

I reached my class and took a seat. It was hard to focus with messages being passed between my seat.

"Yo, Oliver, could you, like, switch seats with me?" Neru, a blonde bully, leaned over from her desk beside mine. She gave an innocent look but really she was giving me an order.

I refused nonetheless. "You know I can't... We have assigned seats; we'd both be marked absent if I did that."

Neru scoffed. "Ugh, what a loser! Just get up!" She reached over and pulled harshly on my sleeve, which caused my frail little body to fall out of the chair.I hit my head pretty hard on the side of her desk, but people only laughed.

Why...was I even here?

The pain pulsed rapidly, and it was almost like I could feel a heartbeat in my brain.

"Oliver, do you remember me...?"

A voice unknown to me echoed throughout my head.

"Oliver?"

I collapsed, and my vision turned to black.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Awakening

~Oliver's POV~

The sunlight hit my eye like it did every morning, and the same thoughts I always had came back.

Why was I here?

It had already been a year since I first woke up with no recollection of any past events aside from the simple fact that my name was, in fact, Oliver.

My foster parents, Kuro and Tenchou, seemed to have no intention on giving me up to anyone any time soon, so it's strange that they decided not to adopt me.

Maybe it's morals.

What day was it? I glanced over at the calendar which hung on the door to my room, opposite of the bed.

"S...Saturday? No, Friday...?" I groaned and sat up slowly, ignoring the aching that came from my arms; I must have slept in an awkward position again.

After trudging to the door, I leered at the calendar until I found the correct date: Sunday, actually.

"Geez," I grumbled, shaking my head.

A trip to the bathroom sent me another reminder of how scared I was. Well, more confused than anything.

I pulled the bandages from around my left eye to look at the scar that covered my eyelid. There was another gold eye—nothing strange. I took a moment to ponder why I had been covering the scar all this time, anyway. It was there from the moment I had 'woken up' to now, in my bedroom.

I'm sure Ryuuto and Piko would get a kick out of seeing something from a war or military game like this in person, so why...?

Ever since that day I've always wondered 'why'? There's been nothing else in my mind.

It's almost like I'm trapped somewhere I'm not supposed to be.

But then another why: why am I thinking this?

Another: why does it matter?

They're all piled up without any meaning or reason behind them. It doesn't make sense.

I picked up the phone that Kuro had bought for me—thanks, again—and checked my texts.

Huh...?

"Oliver! Are you awake yet?!" Piko sent a few like the first, and I scrolled through them curiously.

They were all some variation of that—all asking about if I was okay, and if I was awake yet.

It didn't make sense.

The most recent message was today a few hours earlier; the latest was from two days ago.

Oh, I get it.

"Oh my god, he passed out!" Neru shrieked, getting up quickly from her desk.

"Hey!" The teacher pushed past everyone. He paused a moment and then sighed. "He's alright. It's a blunt injury—nothing fatal. Take him to the nurse."

Neru blinked. "M-me?!" She gasped. "No way! I am not touching him! That's disgusting!"

"Well someone better," the teacher scowled at us, "before I make everyone do extra homework for today."

The class murmured in unison before a girl raised her hand. "I will."

A relieved sigh came again in unison from the class.

The teacher nodded. "Thank you, SeeU."

It was that, wasn't it?

I texted back rather slowly for what I could usually do, "Thanks for worrying, Piko. I don't know why I was out for so long... It doesn't make sense to me either. I'm not hurt or anything, though. Just...tired..."

The reply was almost immediate. "Oh thank god! I thought you died!"

I snorted. Typical Piko.

"I'll call you later," was my simple reply before setting my phone down. I was about to open the door when the knob turned and I quickly stepped back in shock to avoid getting hit to the face and knocked out again.

"Ah—Oliver?!" Kuro stood there, holding a glass of water that she almost dropped, along with a small towel that draped over her arm. "Oh my god!"

She hurriedly set the glass down and didn't mind the towel falling as I was squished by her bearhug. How I managed to survive was a mystery.

"K-Kuro! Air!" I gasped, pushing her away quickly. Taking a breath when she frantically apologized, I rolled my eyes. "Tenchou left for work already, right?"

There was a pause. She seemed to want to ask me many more things and not just go back to our usual conversations, but responded anyway, "Yes...he did."

I nodded simply. My mouth was open to say something else, but my stomach was already two steps ahead of me.

A loud, low grumble came from my mid-section and I froze in embarrassment. It made me sound desperate; what an idiotic stomach.

Then again, I guess I hadn't eaten for two days...

Kuro laughed and shook her head. "Here, I'll make you pancakes, kiddo." She ruffled my hair and got a quick scolding before turning away. "Welcome back to reality."

I scoffed. "Yeah, whatever, mom."

When she left, I felt a bit lonely. I was with my thoughts again, and it wasn't exactly the best thing.

Though it did remind me of that...voice? Was it a voice? Oh well.

What was that, anyway? It didn't sound familiar, but...whoever it was, if anyone, how did they know me?

Er, maybe it's more important to ask how they would even be able to communicate with me via my own brain anyway...

I shook my head quickly and changed into a simple t-shirt and shorts. There was no reason to dress in my school uniform if it was Sunday, anyway. Maybe I'd get a lucky day off for being a sickly, frail boy.

Doubtful, though. Tenchou's surprisingly strict in that aspect so I might pull it off acting like a baby to Kuro.

Meh, she probably wouldn't believe me anyway.

I ran downstairs and slid into my chair at the dining table just as Kuro set down the first batch of pancakes. There were only two; they were mine, of course.

"You're not going to make any for yourself?" I asked, pouring a waterfall of syrup over the pancakes.

Kuro waved the spatula at me. "Oh, hush, Ollie. I'm getting there." She laughed and patted my head.

"I said not to touch my head!" I shouted, pouting. I jammed a piece of the food into my mouth to avoid a harsher punishment than just a head-pat if I continued complaining.

Kuro had supposedly replied, but I suddenly felt like vomiting. My ears were ringing and I quickly swallowed the pancake before I choked on it.

I gripped the sides of my head to cover the sound but it only got louder. My head felt fuzzy.

It hurts...

It's so painful...

"Hey, Oliver, why do you think we exist...?"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - It's His Fault

~Oliver's POV~

I glanced to my right, with Len sitting beside me. "What?" I asked, fighting back the urge to smile at his silly question.

Len only shook his head. "Why do you think we exist?" He pressed, pulling one knee up. "It's like...there's no point, right? But we just keep living anyway. Moving slowly towards death—the thing everyone hates." He rested the side of his head on his shoulder, letting out a sigh. "It's unavoidable, so why do we continue to live? What sadist put us here, only to let us die anyway...?"

I furrowed my brow, and there was slight irritation in my gut. "You really shouldn't speak like that. Even if you aren't caught, name-calling is against protocol."

Gasping, I opened my eyes.

W...what?

I was sitting...at the dining table like before. Nothing seemed to have changed, but Kuro gave me a strange look.

"Everything alright?" She asked, gnawing at her lip like she usually did when she was trying to figure something out.

I only laughed nervously, waving her off. "I-I'm fine! Thanks for the pancakes, Kuro. I think I'm gonna just grab my stuff and head over to Piko's house... Tell me if you get any weird calls."

Standing up, I swiftly headed upstairs to grab my phone. Piko, of course, had already replied since he was such a worrywart. I laughed at him a bit before reading what he said.

"Oliver, I know you're just awake and all, but you said you're not tired or anything right? We need your help."

There was nothing else.

I tilted my head slightly and read the text a few times over.

We? Was Ryuuto there too? Ah, whatever it is, I better head over soon.

I jammed the phone into my pocket, grabbed my bag, and left. There was a moment to say goodbye again to Kuro, but that was all before I ran down the road towards Piko's house.

It wasn't too far; a few blocks away was nothing for me. I had never done horrible in gym class, anyway.

Funny enough, I barely had any time to knock on Piko's front door before it shot open.

"Huh?!" The boy in front of me looked irritated; he wasn't invited to Piko's house. Ever. I knew immediately that something was going on, but backed up since I couldn't take him alone.

"F-Fukase? What were you doing here...?" I asked, trying to sound as friendly as I could. It probably would've worked if the stutter hadn't given away my fear.

"Ohh, your that big nerds friend, huh?" Fukase grinned and ran a thumb across his neck—a signal towards me—before shoving me down and out of his way.

I yelped in the pain of slamming back full-force onto the sidewalk, but...it honestly could've been worse. He seemed to be going easy on me.

"You're lucky I came without anyone! And that you showed up late," he spat, running a hand through the hair that was red like blood.

He walked away without another word, and I sat up slowly, wincing from the clear bruises that had painted my back. Hopefully nothing was bleeding; I couldn't tell at all since the pain was overwhelming.

I staggered a bit, but successfully stood up and achingly walked into the house, shutting the door behind me. The click of the lock seemed to signal Piko, as he ran downstairs.

"Oli—oh my god!" He noticed the blood that was on my elbows and forearms from the impact of the fall, it seems. "Was it Fukase?! I bet it was! That big jerk!" He fumed, gently pulling me into the kitchen.

I didn't say a word; it won't do much to protest when Piko was like this anyway.

"Hey, what's with the patch over your eyebrow?" I asked, studying it while he cleaned my arm, wincing a few times when the antibacterial spray did its job.

Piko refused to speak for a good minute or two while he cleaned my arm, but then gave up when the silence got to him. "The same as you," he muttered simply. There was not another word.

Once he finished up, we both headed downstairs; we would usually sleep over there since it was pretty much one giant bedroom, but not today.

Ryuuto was there—he was shaking and had more patches than Piko and I did combined. There was a dent in the wall behind him too.

"Ryuuto..." I approached him slowly; he didn't seem to be in the shape to where he would appreciate it if you jumped out in front of him at random. "Hey...are you alright? Fukase's gone now..." I touched his shoulder as gently as possible, but he still flinched and shut his eyes tightly.

I glanced back at Piko, who shook his head. "It's best to leave him for a while when this happens... It's the only way he'll cope..."

I wanted to help—to hold the small boy and tell him everything would be okay, but...if that wasn't going to help him, then I had to back off.

"Piko, I wanna talk. I want Ryuuto to hear it too, whether he's like this or not..." I sat down on the floor next to Ryuuto, though a bit farther away so he wouldn't be intimidated or scared in any way.

Piko tilted his head. "Yeah...?"

I paused, inhaling a great deal just to prepare myself. It might've been a bit dramatic.

"You know how I hit my head and fainted, right? Or...more like a coma; it was two days, and all..." I looked away slightly. "Well...I know this is gonna sound weird, but I heard some voice... Like a boy our age. He was asking if I remembered him, but...none of it makes sense."

Piko blinked. "H-huh? You're telepathic now?" He furrowed his brow. "Wait, that would be the other way around..."

"Uh, Piko—"

"Anyway, I'm sure it was just part of your weird dream! Though it would be totally cool if that were real."

Upon Ryuuto's stirring and his visible pain at Piko's raised voice, the latter quickly shut his mouth.

Somehow I knew I would get that response...


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Family

~Oliver's POV~

The rest of my time at Piko's house was uneventful. Ryuuto had nothing to say to either of us since Fukase had been there, and Piko brushed off anything I said that was remotely serious.

The only one who ever really took me serious was Yohio. And...then again, I hadn't seen him in forever. He usually spent time with his girlfriend anyway.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I care or anything, but sometimes a brother should spend some time with his little brother too, yeah?

Well, whatever.

Thinking over what I had told Piko, there was that strange scene that happened when I was eating breakfast...

Name-calling...against protocol?

I snickered. What type of dumb excuse is that? Saying something like, "I'm doing it because I need to avenge my friend!" is much cooler than that stickler response.

Though, it seemed like I was the one saying it. Strange. I wouldn't ever say something that dumb...

Wait, is that a memory?

Yeah, no way. Whoever that kid is clearly isn't anywhere near here. If he was, I would've ran into him already.

I sighed, looking up to the clouds. The wall home always seemed longer than it did going to Piko's house.

That blond boy... Just who is he?

The pain came rushing back. I cried out, and faltered where I stood, collapsing to the cement.

"G-god...damnit!" I hissed, before biting my tongue. There was blood—my vision blurred with the blue of the sky, the tan cement, and the red blood that covered it.

Then, there was only black.

Fingers intertwined with my own, and glancing up was that same blond boy. He smiled at me to something similar of a mother to their child.

"Oliver, I don't ever want to leave you..." His words were soft and sweet, and I could feel the beating of my heart pick up its pace.

What exactly does it feel like to love someone?

"Me either," I breathed out, feeling Len's hands tighten around my own. They were slightly larger, and warm.

It felt safe.

He was my safe haven.

Len...

"Len...?"

Coughing, I sat up on the sidewalk, pushing up with my forearms. The taste of blood was stained inside my mouth as droplets of red were spit out onto the ground.

The boy...was that Len? It couldn't be anyone else... The name was basically suffocating any other thoughts when those...'memories' showed up.

Len, Len, Len. That's all I could hear. It was like a million different voices screaming his name...

But who was he? That...scene looked strange.

I don't understand any of this...

When I finally got home, Kuro greeted me with the same words as always: "Welcome home, Ollie! Did you have fun?"

I only shrugged. "Uh, I guess." A sigh escaped my lips and that seemed to be what set her off.

"Hey, those kids aren't being mean to you, are they?" She finally turned around and then gasped. "Oliver! What are these?!" She ran over and grasped my arms rather harshly, which caused me to wince at the pain.

I pulled away. "Ow! Hey, stop!"

"Ah, sorry!" Kuro waved her hands quickly. "But seriously! They're hurting you now?! What's with these so-called friends of yours?!"

"It wasn't them!" I shouted, quickly lowering my voice after realizing that it had gotten out of hand. "It wasn't them..." I shook my head and turned away, heading to my room. "I just fell and Piko helped me clean myself up; it's really no big deal..."

Kuro furrowed her brow. She didn't seem to believe me, but I was already holed up in my room by then.

In all honesty, I wasn't even that worried about Fukase. Now that I knew the blond boy's name, reality had merged in a way with the memories I was receiving.

The name echoed throughout my head like it was trying to tell me something, though just a name wasn't any good for that.

I fell back on the bed, holding onto a pillow.

Where do I know this kid? Why is it only him? Don't I have a family...?

For some reason, my chest started aching.

I quickly shook the thoughts and then pressed the pillow onto my face. The groan I let out was muffled, thankfully, for I was almost certain that Kuro had decided to snoop on me.

I'm not some dirty teenager, mom.

By the time I had come out of my room, it was purely out of hunger. It was late, and there was no way I'd be able to function without dinner; I'd already skipped lunch, and that was enough.

I was a bit happier, though, since Tenchou comes home for dinner and I'd get to see him again. It sucks having a close friend work so early in the morning.

The door unlocked and I turned quickly, seeing my favorite idiot dad walk through.

"Tench!" I shouted, waving a hand.

"Ollie!" Tenchou grinned and headed over, draping his coat on a chair. "You hang out with Piko and them today?"

I stuck out my tongue. "Duh! Though I got hurt—fell down on the sidewalk on the way there." I grinned childishly, pulling at the gauze tape.

Tenchou crossed his arms. "What a clumsy kid," he muttered playfully, sighing. "Now, if only Hio came home then it'd really be a family dinner."

"I doubt it," I remarked. "He's probably busy getting it on with Maika." I rolled my eyes, to which I got a nudge from Tenchou.

He couldn't help smiling. "Don't talk like that about your brother, Ollie."

"You're smiling, Tench."

"I know."

Kuro rolled her eyes and turned around, setting the freshly cooked mackerel on the table. "Yeah, yeah, just hurry up and eat." She smirked. "It's more peaceful when your mouths are stuffed and not spitting random blabberings."

The two of us exchanged a glance and then burst out laughing before Tenchou cut up the fish in servings for all three of us.

Tonight seemed more lively than usual—I didn't really understand why.

But I didn't mind, either. It was fun like this.

It almost felt like we were a real family.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - First Encounter

~Oliver's POV~

The night was short—but it was filled with fun and games, so I wasn't that mad.

The next day, though...

"Oliver!"

I shifted slightly in bed. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I was too tired to pay attention to it. "Urgh... Five more minutes..."

There was a slight pause, but the voice persisted anyway. "Oliver! I've found you! Get up!"

A sharp pain was all I felt from my stomach and I shot up. "Ow! H-hey!" Looking around, there was no one.

But then...

A head popped in front of me, grinning. "Oliver! I'm so glad you're okay!"

A...a woman?!

"Uwah?!" I flinched away and ended up falling out of the bed. "W-who are you?! W-what?!"

The woman moved aside and sat cross-legged on my bed. She looked around Kuro's age...

What the hell?

"Oh, you don't remember me?" She pouted childishly. "It's Ann, sweetie! I'm your mom, you know?"

I blinked. "Wh...at?"

"Did you really not get it?" The lady—Ann, apparently—pressed a fingertip confusedly to her lip. "Well, I gave birth to you, silly!"

"H-huh?! Hell no! N-no way! Kuro!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, scrambling to my feet to rush downstairs, but the door opened faster than my arm and I was met with hard wood to the forehead.

"Ah, Oliver?!" Kuro gasped and frantically helped me up. "A-are you okay?! I'm so sorry!"

I groaned in pain, warily touching the now-swollen red skin on my forehead. "Goddamnit... Kuro, get this lady out of my room!" I pointed to Ann, who only sat there innocently with a smile that matched.

Kuro turned her head to where my bed was and paused, then turned back to me. "Er, I think the door might've hit you a little too hard, Ollie. C'mon, sit down. I'll get you some ice." She helped me over to my bed, to where I was greeted with Ann's arms wrapping around my chin.

I gagged. "Wh—Kuro! She's right here!" Pulling away from her grip, I sat up and pointed a finger straight to the curly-haired woman.

Kuro furrowed her eyebrows together in concern. "Oliver, there's no one there... I'll get you some medicine too..." She sighed and left the room without another word, shutting the door.

"She can't see me, you know." Ann smiled, humming softly. She snapped her fingers and two large bird-like wings sprouted from her body. "I'm an angel, after all." She pulled me up and hugged me tighter than Kuro had ever. "Oh, your father will be so happy to see you!"

I gasped for air. "W-what?!" I pulled away and frantically asked the questions that piled up in my mind with each new thing discovered. "A-angel?! T-that's just one...one hell of a cosplay! You're some...some kind of spy, right?! What do you want with me?!"

Ann sighed. "Jeez, you really don't get it yet, huh?" She pulled me up and we both stood in front of each other; she was clearly taller due to her age difference.

She held my hands gently and led me to the windowsill, where she climbed up and spread those wings even wider.

There's...no way we'd actually fly, right?

"H-hey! I won't go with you!" I jerked my hand away—or so I thought.

She didn't let go, instead only pulling me up as a burst of wind carried us into the air and sent multiple items inside my room falling.

I shrieked, clinging onto her tightly. She seemed to be enjoying my fear; the houses got farther and farther away until I couldn't see them anymore past the clouds. It was getting harder to breathe, and suddenly there was no sound.

We had stopped moving.

Ann set me down on what seemed to be a cloud, but I still...didn't believe it.

This has to be a dream made up by my obsession with existence and that boy Len... Or is he even real?

It's just a dream, after all...

"Welcome toooo: Heaven!" Ann raised her hands up, laughing like a child. "All your worries will be washed away! We'll get you a new set of wings, Angel-In-Training Oliver!"

I looked around; everything was white. So pure white. There was shining gold too, mixed with the sky's light blue color. It was beautiful, but...

Was any of it real? I doubt it.

"T-this is...? W-what?" I stood shakily—the ground wasn't exactly firm and I had never been up so high before, so of course I was afraid.

Ann twirled around happily. "Oh, I'm so glad! We can finally be a real family again!"

I almost choked on literally nothing. She was...definitely not my mom. This is a dream.

I stumbled forward and Ann gasped, quickly catching me. "Oh, that's right! Come on, I'll take you home now." She led me once more through what looked like a town made of clouds and snow.

It really was beautiful; too bad it was all fake anyway.

We reached a house, if you could call it that, at what seemed to be the far end of the town and she opened the door to let me in.

"Oh, Ann!" A man's voice came from inside and he headed down, only to look extremely shocked. "Y-you..."

I blinked and looked away quickly. "Uh..."

"Oliver!"

There was no time to protest before the man's arms swung around me just as tightly as Ann's had. I was going to suffocate, wasn't I?

"Al, let the boy go!" Ann scolded, placing her hands on her hips. "He's turning blue!"

The man known as Al gasped and let go of me quickly. I inhaled sharply to catch my breath.

"Forgive me, Oliver, I'm just so happy to finally see you again! We were so worried..." Al nodded solemnly and turned to Ann. "Dear, to be honest, I didn't think you could do it."

"Oh, how dare you!"

The two started to bicker back and forth for a while and I stepped back a bit to think things over. Then, an idea appeared.

"U-um, excuse me!" I spoke up, pointing a finger. "Is there someone here named Len...?"

That moment, both of their eyes seemed to dim of whatever light they had previously.

Ann spoke first, cautiously.

"Oliver...how do you know that name...?"


End file.
